My Strength in Him

Ironwood Christian Camp 3D

Larry — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:40:35 +0000

Yes, Ironwood Father-Son camp was definitely in 3D. A beautiful, majestic place of God’s creation.

Doesn't count unless you touch the cross.

As the sun peaked over the rooftops of Ironwood, we began our hike to the top of Solider Mountain. There were about 20 of us fathers and sons who arose at 530. Even though the hike was a long, challenging uphill trek through desert, rocks and finally, nearly straight uphill as we navigated through large boulders, we reached the summit and touched the cross. There was a beautiful 360 degree view for miles to the distant mountains. and then a sprint down the sand dunes on the other side to a well deserved breakfast.

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Psalm 1

Larry — Tue, 24 May 2011 18:30:42 +0000

1 Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
         Nor stands in the path of sinners,
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
³ He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water,
         That brings forth its fruit in its season,
         Whose leaf also shall not wither;
         And whatever he does shall prosper.

⁴ The ungodly are not so,
         But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
         Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
         But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

From our Point Man book discussion last night. We can either be anorexic Christians, bulimic Christians or Christians made of giant oaks with a large, stable and developed root system to support us no matter the weather of life. Anorexic Christians don’t bother to read the Bible and are starved from God’s word. Bulimic Christians read the Bible, go to church, but don’t do anything with it, they just purge the Word right back out. Secret is to read the Bible every day, to feed and develop those strong roots in the Word, then as a great oak tree, we can weather all storms that come through in life.

Satan will fight against this daily renewal of your mind, spirit and faith. He will do anything to prevent the development of deep roots in the faith. It is critical fight on and continue to study the Word, meditate on its inspired passages, and build a force strong enough to withstand all the assaults of the evil one.

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Positive Minds = Positive Lives

Larry — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:22:07 +0000

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Positive thoughts are always full of faith and hope. Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you…”

We must be ready to adapt to things in life and not become immobile if our plans don’t work out. Life is work and everything doesn’t always work out. But be positive and enjoy life as it comes no matter what happens. No complaining, whining or gloominess. Jesus is here. He wants you to enjoy all the good things in life. You can become a new person and change from the negative to the positive. As the bible says in:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

All things have become new, and that includes you. Trust Jesus and he will change you. Most things in life don’t turn out the way you like or planned, but you will survive, thrive and prosper because Jesus lives in you. Jesus is positive and the more you are positive and embrace Him the more powerful your life will be. Bad things happen to everyone. You don’t have the market cornered on bad luck. Besides, it is not what happens to you that matters. It’s what you do about it that matters.

Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.
You can have hope, you can be positive. Expect great things in your life. Maybe not the things you planned, because God has the right plan for you. Expect miracles and you shall receive.

Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

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James Durbin… Gone?

Larry — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:25:30 +0000

Once again, American Idol has proved it doesn’t promote artistry, but corn syrup fluffy music by eliminating James Durbin. Yes, Scotty can sing. Yes, Lauren can sing. But the only true artists this year were James, Haley and Casey. They actually put thought into each performance. Hey, wait they are performers, not rote singers. It is obvious that AI attempts to influence voters with their not so subtle placement of singers, promotions, etc. The judges, and I mean Randy and JLo, so obviously didn’t want Haley keep moving on it was nauseating. Haleys’ got it, James has got it, Randy and Jlo don’t get it. The voters, what is up with that. The tween girls and their mothers just want ”soda pop” pop music. Don’t try to get creative or we’ll vote you off. Just like last year with Crystal Bowersox, by far more talented than Lee Dewyze. She blew his doors off in the finale, even he agreed, yet he won. Really, out of 9 yrs, how many Idol winners have become American Idols? Carrie and Kelly. Number 3 in success is Daughtry and he finished 4th (go James). Maybe less corn syrupy winners and real artists and Idol may have better track record.
I never really watched AI before last year. The only reason I started watching was because of Crystal’s type 1 diabetes. My 5 yr old daughter had recently been diagnosed with type 1 and I began watching AI with her to show her that just because she had diabetes didn’t mean she couldn’t do anything she wanted, just like Crystal. Just like James, with his Tourette’s and Asperger’s, these kids are an inspiration to the thousands who have similar afflictions. Anything is possible. Why AI wouldn’t promote that is also beyond me. I will buy a James CD when it comes out, as I did with Crystal. I will also buy a Haley and James CD. Scotty-nope.Lauren-nope. I’ll take artists over corn syrup singers any day.

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What’s the Point… Man

Larry — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:18:22 +0000

Doing book study with some guys from church. We are going over the book Point Man, by Steve Farrar. It’s basic premise is LEAD and your family will follow. As the back of the book states, “… is a trustworthy road map through parenthood, the seasons of marriage, personal temptation, and forging a life of faith in the midst of a corrupt culture.” Farrar says satan has declared war on the biblical family and compares a man, as a father and husband, to being in a state of war, and that leading a family through the chaos of American culture is like leading a small patrol through enemy-occupied territory. You must protect your marriage and your children. Satan will try to pick you off, the head of the family, the point man. Unless, your gaurd is always up and you’re always on patrol, you can be picked off. Families are dying all over this country. Satan is working his evil. If he gets the point man, the wife and children will be leaderless and fall right into his trap. In this war Jesus is looking for men to lead and live for their families. By doing this you save your family, can have an impact and save your neighborhood, your church even your country. As Farrar states, “If hundreds of thousands of men seriously began to lead their own homes, the impact on America would be far greater than one Christian man leading in the White House.”

As I continue on my study I will discuss specific issues from the book. Get it, read it, live it.

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Be Strong, Never Quit, Attack Fear – Amen

Larry — Fri, 06 May 2011 18:00:49 +0000

Be Strong, Never Quit, Attack Fear – Amen

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

2 Timothy 1:7 For god has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Proverbs 1:33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.

Isaiah 54:14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise;

Mark 10:27 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible,”

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Lazy Boy Larry… I Don’t Get It

Larry — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:00:15 +0000

This past Sunday, my Pastor Rod Collins of Sanctuary Church, gave a sermon on part 5 of a series on marriage. During his sermon he was talking to single women and stated if you are dating somebody who sits on the couch all day, doesn’t have a job, essentially leeches off of you, a “lazy boy Larry”, dump him. Hey, that’s my name. After the service I approached Rod and said, “Hey, what’s up with using my name like that, how about Louie or something?” We both had a good laugh over that, which brings me to my point. I know my pastor personally-he knows me. I sat with pastor number 2 during the service and discussed our favortie topic, Tommys Chili burgers. I saw Pastor number 3 at a coffee shop and stopped to say hi. I know all 3 of these great mena and I can approach them at any time. Sooooo, I don’t get the big, huge, massive churces that have services for 10 or 20,000 people. Where is the personal relationship with their leaders. A church is not a building, but a community of people, an extended family. A large, massive church organization is like a corporation with layers and layers of complication. I was at a John Eldredge, Wild at Heart retreat once and a man from Atlanta said his church had 20,000 people every Sunday. I asked him if he could ever just go up at talked to the head pastor. “Ah, no,” he said, he has too much security arround him.” I don’t get it. If you can’t approach your pastor, the head of the family as it were, it seems to me that isn’t the way church is suppossed to be. Early churches were in homes and small communities, and just like the old Cheers television show, everyone knew your name. I don’t think I could remember 20,000 peoples names. I’ll let Rod make fun of my name instead, and joke about it with him later.

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Who Wants to be a Nice Guy?

Larry — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:28:15 +0000

Not me. After being a “nice guy” for 5 decades plus, it is apparent to me that nice guys do finish last. How I ended up with a “smokin hot” wife and 3 great kids and a good job is beyond me. God was involved, that’s for sure. We need to be more assertive and more powerful in today’s world. I don’t mean the testosterone filled jerk we all know, but when it comes to your faith and your family you need to be assertive, strong and powerful. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” Other versions state is “…God has not given us a spirit of timidity…”
In today’s society and culture we especially need to be strong and assertive. With decadence rapidly increasing in this country and the exposure of our children to the erosion of moral values, we need to be outraged. And we need to act on that outrage. No more mister nice guy. No more turning the other cheek. This niceness has invaded the Church across the globe. Nice guys finish last and nice Christians finish even further behind. We need to stand up, stand up again and again for our faith and our families, even if it is against the “niceness” of the Christian way. A perfect example of this is why my son is now home schooled.

A major reason, (along with lack of academic challenges) is the bullying problem at the “nice” private CHRISTAIN school he was attending. After years of repeated bullying, by the same bully, and multiple meetings and emails with the top administrator, I had had enough. I was told we had to understand where the bully was coming from, that it was the good, nice Christian thing to do. The bully needed to be helped with his behaviour problem. Never mind that my son (along with others, male and female) had been kicked, punched in the face, hit on the head with a stick, and on and on. This was a private CHRISTAIN school. A public school would have kicked this bully out, but we had to be nice and understanding. What? If Jesus would have been in those meetings he would have flipped over a table and yelled at this leadership.
The problem with this administrator and today’s Christianity is we are being taught that if we study real hard, be a good boy and be a model of Christian maturity we can attain the goal of becoming a… really nice guy. Say what? Being a nice guy makes us… a man? More like a boring man. Little boys don’t dream of being a boring nice guy, they dream of being the courageous hero, the star athlete, the astronaut, a jet pilot, the king, etc. etc. Why would we want to snuff this out? Little girls dream of marrying Prince Charming, the hero who saves her, not the nice guy who didn’t.
We must live with passion, with your life on fire, Paul was once Saul, a fiery young man who was hunting down the Church, his passion made him the foremost persecutor of the church. When Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus, he captured his passion and it lead Paul to “work harder than all the other apostles” 1 Cor 15:10 NLT. Pual didn’t become a nice guy. Passion, desire, leading with fire and courage should be at the heart of all Christians. Those who would kill this zeal for a great Christian life destroy the very essence that makes heroes of those who would fight for Christ.
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We Are at War

Larry — Tue, 03 May 2011 04:03:39 +0000

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10). Jesus offers life, but you’re going to have to fight for it because there is an enemy out there who has different ideas. The enemy is set against us. We are at war. We are born right into the middle of a great battle of good vs evil. It is the the battle of the Dark side vs the Force, Sauron vs Gandalf, Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring, the battle between heaven and hell. The thief comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY. You may have life and have it to the full, but you will have enter the battle as an active participant.

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Jesus Mean and Wild

Larry — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:30:23 +0000

Jesus Mean and Wild,by Mark Galli shows us another side of Jesus, as the inside jacket on the book states,” Meet another side of Jesus, not always safe, but good. In this book, the author focuses on Jesus as he is portrayed in Mark’s gospel. He shares with us the power of Christ. Nearly everywhere in the Gospel of Mark we find a Jesus who storms in and out people’s lives making people feel uncomfortable. He looks upon religious leaders with “anger” and “grief”,strictly orders people he heals, destroys a herd of swine, without regret or compensation to the owner, and overturns tables in the temple in a moment of rage. He rebukes Peter, is indignant with the disciples, he says the endtimes will come sooner than anyone thinks and will be so severe that even the faithful will beg for death.

This is not Jesus meek and mild but leading with fire who shocks and frightens. As Galli says, “God loves you and has a difficult plan for your life.” Jesus lead with a consuming fire and a raging storm the enveloped all. So much that he was put to death by those threatened by him. This isn’t the “nice, meek” Jesus of the contemporary church. He wasn’t invisible. He didn’t go around preaching be nice and quiet and you’ll go the heaven. No, he shook up people. Repent and follow me or else, and make some noise doing it. Today’s church wants us to be invisible, be nice and everything will be OK. I believe we must lead with a consuming fire and a raging storm as he did. We may be tempted to hide, because of fear, but facing that fear will set us free in him

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